Russian Rebound Reversal
by Petaltailify97
Summary: *Warning: Spoilers for end of FMA:Brotherhood/Manga* When a young alchemist prepared to make a huge sacrifice and a stubborn, revenge-bound Brit using black magic perform two transmutations at the same time, the two worlds of FMA and Hetalia collide! Some pairings in both series are implied, but nothing too serious. Rated T for Ed's potty-mouth!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello there! This is petaltailify97 here with my very first fanfic, so please try to take it easy on me if it's not that good. Both compliments and constructive criticism (not flames!) will be equally appreciated, so please review if you get the chance! **

**Just to make sure we're clear, this is an APHxFMA crossover that takes place near the end of FMA Brotherhood _(*Spoiler alert!*If you did not finish watching Brotherhood/reading the manga you have been warned!) _after Father is defeated and Ed is about to bring Al back from inside the Gate. As for the Hetalia point of view in this, well, you'll find out soon enough, da? And this is just the prologue for my story. All the chapters from here on out will be much longer than this I swear!**

**As for the cover I made for this story, all I did was find a screenshot of Russia from the show and pasted it in front of the Gate of Truth with the title and all. So that means technically the artwork's not mine, but at least the idea behind it is! If this goes against the rules or whatever I'll just take it down.**

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**_Russian Rebound Reversal_**

_**Prologue:** _

_It's been quite a long time. Why hasn't Brother come back for me yet? He should be here by now._

Alphonse pondered to himself as he sat in front of his Portal of Truth, his back slouched while leaning a chin on his hand.

_What could be keeping him? I hope nothing went wrong._

The Truth, who was sitting across from Al in front of Ed's Portal, suddenly made a slight shudder, which was quite out of the ordinary. What could possibly cause a God-like being such as the Truth to cringe in such a way?

"What's wrong?" Al asked with a hint of concern in his voice, "Did something happen?"

Although the white figure had no eyes, Al could tell right away that the Truth directed a gaze right his way.

"I'm afraid so," the Truth responded, "It seems like someone recently attempted to open the Gate."

"What? Was it Brother?" Al asked in a worried tone, his previously drooped eyes now sharply focused on the figure in front of him.

_Oh please tell me nothing happened to him._

"No, it couldn't have been your brother," the Truth replied as Alphonse listened intently, "You see, every person in this world has their own version of the Truth that resembles them, and as you already know, when someone tries opening the Gate, they encounter that Truth."

"Uh-huh," Al muttered, his head nodding in comprehension at the Truth's words, "Oh, I get it. And because you're Brother's version of the Truth, and he's not with you right now, it couldn't have been him."

"Exactly," the Truth said reassuringly, "It must have been someone else who did it this time, and they're probably having a little chit-chat with their own Truth as we speak."

Alphonse wasn't sure what to feel after hearing this. He felt somewhat uneasy, yet relieved at the same time. Did this mean that nothing bad happened to his brother? But what if that meant he wasn't coming back for him? The possibilities were endless, and giving Al a headache. He buried his face in his hands.

_Maybe he's having a tough time figuring something out. Possibly thinking about what he'll sacrifice to get me back. Yeah, that's gotta be it. I'm pretty sure nothing happened to him. He'll be just fine._

The emaciated boy could only heave a sigh and kept repeatedly telling himself the reassuring words as he continued waiting hopefully for his older brother to return and retrieve his body and soul from the Gate.

_I just have to think positive, and everything will turn out okay, won't it?_

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**A/N: Sorry this is so short! It's only the prologue as the title points out, and the chapters were recently edited for size and are much longer than this. Trust me, this is as short as it gets.**

**Hope you enjoyed the prologue! And no, the title of this story wasn't just a bad pun. Russia ****_will_**** play a part in this story, so keep reading! Like I said earlier, positive and negative feedback will be appreciated. Either way can help me to improve my story, but no reviews at all can't, so please review!**

**Disclaimer: I know, I know, I don't own either of these shows. So don't sue me!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Summoning

**_Russian Rebound Reversal_**

**_Chapter 1: The Summoning_**

Knelt down beside the suit of armor that once was the body that kept his younger brother's soul bound to this world, Edward desperately searched his mind trying to figure out a way to bring Alphonse's body and soul back from the Gate. Al had just sacrificed his own soul for Ed to get his right arm back so he could finally defeat the wretched Father. The young alchemist unclenched his two hands and stared into his palms as if they held the answer.

_That's it!_ Ed thought to himself as a small grin formed on his scratched-up face. He glanced around at the many people that had supported his brother and him on their long and painful journey, then clenched his fists once again and stood up. He looked down at May Chang, who was kneeling down and weeping beside the fragmented, lifeless suit of armor.

"May," Edward called to her. She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks, "Stand back a little."

All eyes were on Ed as he walked away from where May and Al's former body lay and bent down for a second to pick up a stick on the way to an open spot in the crater formed during the fight with Father, a couple of Briggs soldiers backing away to leave room for the alchemist. In the center of the clearing, Ed contemplatively began scraping the stick against the ground, eventually creating a transmutation circle.

Ling then realized what Ed was trying to do. "Is that-" he began to ask, but quickly turned it into an exclamation, "It's a human transmutation circle!"

Ed tossed the stick to the side. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he stated so everyone could hear, "This is my last transmutation. Stand back and enjoy the show!"

Without delay, two hands instantly clapped together causing a lightning-like reaction and were brought down onto the circle. Edward could faintly hear the shouts of people around him as the transmutation took place.

Apparently, what had happened to Ed afterwards was far from what he had expected. Instead of appearing in front of the entrance to his Portal of Truth and speaking to that Truth bastard so he could get his brother back, he felt as if he was passing _through_ the Gate. Suddenly, the only thing Edward could make out hearing while he was in there were these unusual words that were being recited by a man with a strange accent. One phrase that stood out and was especially strange to Ed was "Dumbledora the Explora."

_Now what the hell could that mean?_ Edward thought to himself as he was being pulled through the Gate.

**_FMAxAPH 4EVA!_**

"Dammit! Since I was interrupted before I'll do it at my place this time. Our family's magic is number one in the world. You're no match for me, stupid America," Britain muttered as he strode into the dark, dismal room, holding a book of spells in his right hand. He wore an opaque black cloak over his green military uniform so long that it draped all the way down to the floor.

Earlier, Britain was defeated by Germany by being shot in the head with a rocket, so to get back at him he by led a black magic ritual, complete with a group of cultists and a voodoo doll that resembled Germany suspended over a glowing cauldron. As he mused over how Germany would "learn the power of the dark side which fears no man," America rudely interrupted the gathering, curious at what was going on in the room.

Now, having drawn a pentagram-based circle on the floor of his basement at home, seven lit candles evenly distributed along its circumference, Britain was ready to go for supernatural revenge a second time. He then recited the chant:

"Santo Rita Mita Meada, Ringo Jonah Tito Marlon, Jack La Toya Janet Michael Dumbledora the Explora."

The circle immediately began to glow with a radiant light and slightly blew Britain's hair upwards as if there was a sudden breeze coming out of it. The brightness of the light gradually increased as Britain repeated the chant once again.

"Santo Rita Mita Meada Ringo Jonah Tito Marlon, Jack La Toya Janet Michael Dumbledora the Explora. I've summoned you from the depths of hell. Show yourself!"

The top of a blonde head with a stray hair sticking out of the middle of it began to rise out of the center of the circle, but as the glow faded, it turned out to be an impatient-looking young man with golden eyes and a few bloody scratches on his face that was summoned forth from Britain's spell.

"_Just who the bloody hell are you?_" the surprised, shocked Brit questioned loudly at the stranger that popped his head out of his floor.

**_FMAxAPH 4EVA!_**

Edward could hardly believe what he had seen when he first crossed (well, when his _head_ crossed) to the other side of the Gate. At first it just appeared to be a luminous beacon of light, a bit too glimmering and flaccid-looking to be a reaction from an alchemic transmutation. But the light soon vanished, and who Ed saw before him was a young man wearing a cloak over what appeared to be some kind of military uniform holding a dusty brown book. The man had messy, short blond hair suitable for a punk and mockingly thick and prominent eyebrows that could easily be compared to black caterpillars resting above his green eyes. _I wonder if he's the same guy I heard reciting that chant earlier?_

"_Just who the bloody hell are you?_" Mr. Eyebrows bellowed at Ed, momentarily interrupting his thoughts.

_Yep it's the guy, he's got the same weird accent,_ Ed thought, _and what an odd way to use the word bloody._

"I think I can ask you the exact same thing, buddy!" Ed angrily retorted back.

_Something tells me it's going to be a long while before I get back to Amestris._

**FMAxAPH 4EVA! **

_Bullocks! Of all the things the Underworld could have sent me, it has to be this twit?_

"Don't you backtalk me!" Britain scolded, "I summoned you here, so do as I say!"

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" the golden-eyed boy asked harshly, "You didn't summon me here!"

"Of course I did!" the Brit said matter-of-factly, "I recited the spell and drew the magic circle on my floor, which _you_ just happened to have popped your little noggin right out of! I mean, what else could have brought you here?"

"Hey! Don't you dare call me little again, Eyebrows!" the stranger hollered, "And I have no idea what you're blabbering about. _Magic circles? Spells?_ What a load of bullshit! I transmuted myself of my own free will using alchemy, although I didn't expect ending up here."

"What? Are you trying to tell me that your presence here isn't of my doing?" Britain asked as he flipped through the pages of his spell book, "But the spell says-"

"Woah! Back up a bit there. First of all I need to know who you are and where the hell I am since it appears that I'm stuck here for awhile," the young man said as he struggled trying to push himself back through the circle, which obviously wasn't getting him anywhere.

_What am I supposed to do? I can't tell this guy I'm a nation. I can't trust him just yet. I guess I'll have to use my human name around him for the time being._

"Alright then, Mr. Pushy. The name's Arthur Kirkland, and you just happened to have ended up in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the U.K. for short," Britain answered almost braggingly, gesticulating his arms for emphasis. "Does that answer your question?" he asked as he helped the stranger out of his floor.

"Yea, thanks," the boy responded, "I'm Edward Elric, but just call me Ed, 'kay?". He then paused for a second, "But I never heard of the U.K. Where is it, geographically? Judging by your accent, I bet it's nowhere near where I'm from."

"Huh? You never heard of the U.K?" Arthur asked (ignoring the comment on his accent), his eyes widened in surprise, "How odd. I'm pretty sure even most Americans know about me, uh I mean that country. You sure you never heard of it?"

_Idiot! I have to be more careful about keeping my secret from him. He's even making a suspicious look at me. Just keep your cool, Arthur. Maybe he didn't notice or thinks I just tripped over my words or something. Don't make such a fuss._

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ed replied, "Maybe if I got a look at a world map, I'd have a better idea of where I am."

"Hold on a sec, I think I have one around here somewhere," Britain said as he started rummaging around his basement. After a while he stopped at a nearby drawer and pulled a relatively large map out of it. "Ah, here it is. Sorry if it's a bit dusty." He walked over blowing away some dust and handed the map to Ed.

"Hmm. Something's screwy about this map. What are all these countries? Wait a minute," Ed said trying to think for a moment,"Ugh! I'm such an idiot! I should have realized this sooner!"

"What's wrong?" Britain asked.

"I know it's gonna sound crazy Arthur, but I'm not from this world. My guess is that when we performed those transmutations at the same time, there was some kind of disturbance in the Gate I was traveling in and instead I ended up here in this world," Ed explained, "Your world doesn't have the same countries as mine, so that must be the reason why I never heard of any of these countries on this map here like the U.K."

"Wait, you were saying something about a gate. What's that have to do with anything? What exactly were you trying to do in there?" Britain instigated.

"Well, I uh," Ed stammered, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, "It's kinda hard to explain. I'd pretty much have to literally tell you my life story for it to make any sense to you."

"Really? Well, I've got time. Let's go upstairs and I'll make us some tea so we can discuss this. It's pretty musty in here, anyway."

Britain led Edward up the stairs of his basement. As they were on their way to the kitchen, Britain could see that Ed was glancing around curiously at the numerous artifacts, paintings, and other objects throughout his home.

"Hey Arthur, you mind if I ask you something?" Ed asked as they were passing through the hallway, "Your house is pretty huge, so are you royalty, or anything along those lines? And what up with all these busts and artifacts? They must be well over hundreds of years old."

"Uh, something like that. I'm uh, kind of like a, uh, _representative_, of this country," Britain managed to answer, "And like you said these artifacts, as well as this house, are hundreds of years old, and because of my high position in my country's government, I get the honor of living in this large estate and get to own things that have to do with its, uh, history and such." _Please let this guy buy what I just said._

"Oh, cool." Ed replied, looking somewhat unconvinced, "And can I ask one more thing?".

"Sure. What is it?"

"Uh, you see, on this map you handed me just a while ago, why are there these hearts drawn over one of these countries?"

"What? H-hearts?" Britain asked as he halted in the middle of the hall.

"Yeah, there's little hearts on it. Hold on, I can't see the name that well," He blew the remaining dust off of the map, "They're drawn right on this place called the United States of America. Do you have a girlfriend living there or something?" Ed teased trying to hold back a smirk.

"No! Of course not! I have no bloody idea in the slightest how those got there! Give me that back!" a red-cheeked Britain remarked as he snatched the map back from a grinning Edward.

"Yeah, whatever you say Arthur."

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**A/N: Thanks everybody who favorited and alerted this story. I really appreciate it! And a very big special thank you to KidStoleMyHeart, SpartanCommander, and XxAxelRoxasXionxX who actually took their time to review my first original chapter. You all deserve a huge cookie! *hands out imaginary cookies to reviewers* **

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist rightfully belongs to the talented Hiromu Arakowa and Hetalia: Axis Powers is the wonderful creation of Hidekaz Himaruya. If I owned FMA, Hughes and Nina would still be alive and Ed would have still been shorter than Winry at the end of the series (I'm so cruel!). If I owned Hetalia, Canada would never be ignored and his "inner France" would be shown **_**very**_** frequently throughout the show. So yeah, I don't own!**

**Remember, I gave you a story, so according to the Law of Equivalent Exchange, I should get a review in return! So please review!**


	3. Chapter 2: Truths and a False Fate

_**Russian Rebound Reversal**_

_**Chapter 2: Truths and a False Fate**_

It started out just like any other day for Ivan Braginski. It was sometime in the late afternoon, and as always Russia was in the mood for fueling up and indulging himself in a bottle of vodka.

He was just in the middle of opening up his fridge when all of a sudden, the most bizarre thing happened to him; out of nowhere a bright glowing circle that looked like some sort of portal appeared beneath him and started deconstructing the nation's body top to bottom.

The next thing Russia knew, he was in a seemingly neverending white void and shortly after taking a glance behind him, his violet eyes grew wide as he saw two sealed stone doors detailed with the most foreign words and symbols.

Russia, deprived of his precious vodka, had hostile thoughts storming through his head:

_Where on earth did that portal take me? And at the worst time, too! I didn't even get a chance to drink some vodka. Ugh! This must have something to do with Britain. He's always involved in weird magical stuff like this. Oh, when I get back, I'll be sure to-_

"Hello," a mysterious voice said, disturbing the nation's mental ranting.

Russia immediately snapped back to reality (well if he could call what was going on a reality) and stared dumbfoundedly at what he saw before him: a white silhouette with a faded black outline that had the same impressive height and stature as him. The figure was just an outline of his body; no hair, no clothes. The only distinctive feature you could see on it was a satanic grin on its face.

"A-and just who you might be?" Russia asked more timidly than he had hoped.

_Hmm, what's wrong with me? I'm usually at least a little more stern than that when talking to people. Am I turning soft, like that Can... uh...Canadia?... Augh, whatever his name is! Anyway, the last thing I want to do is to look weak in front of this guy. I can't let him get to me._

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked me that!" the figure answered, excitedly? _Guess this guy doesn't get that many visitors._

"I am called by many names. I am the world. I am the universe. I am God. I am Truth. I am all. I am one. And I am also, you," the supposed Truth recited to the bewildered nation in a monotonous tone as if it was his millionth time doing so.

Russia could do nothing but stare with his mouth agape and make a sudden gasp as the stone doors lingering behind him opened up in a split second and twistingly revealed an immense, formidable eyeball surrounded by a black vacuous emptiness.

"Hey! What's going on? What did I do wrong? Tell me, chert voz'mi*!"a now horrified Russia exclaimed as a myriad of morbid extending arms clambered out of the darkness and started to drag him inside.

"Oh, you'll know," the figure responded bluntly, "after I show you, the Truth."

Now what in the world could that mean? Russia thought as he struggled trying to break free from the Gate's tight grasp, but it was no use.

_Guess I'll find out soon enough._

**_Xx-xX_**

It was a rather short fifteen years of peace after the Mongols invaded during the Battle of the Kalka River (1), until one day in the late December of 1237. It was a sight one could only wish they could unsee. Russia felt helpless as he heard the cries of innocent civilians being brutally slaughtered ringing throughout his eardrums and felt an intense burning sensation within his body as his capital, Moscow was put up in flames, all thanks to Batu Khan, who led the merciless Mongols.

_Hey, why am I remembering this? What's going on?_

In a single instant, all of Russia's memories that could be as early as the time when one of his bosses infamously titled Ivan the Terrible (2) beat and eventually killed his oldest son in a fit of rage to as recent as the guilt-wrenching Massacre of Prisoners in 1941 (3) were forced into his mind. As if all the memories of his country's past wasn't enough, there were also endless bits and pieces of overwhelming knowledge about the world, the universe, some kind of strange science, and just about everything being drained into his head all at once, breaking the nation down both physically and mentally.

_My head feels like it's gonna burst! It's all too much! Make it stop, please!_

_No, I'm a nation, damnit! I should be able to take this! I've been through worse, even if I'm being reminded of all those painful times right now. Just hold yourself together, Ivan._

But just as suddenly as it had started, it was all over. Once again Russia was in front of the two stone tablet doors and he stood standing there, paralyzed in shock.

"How was it?" the Truth asked anticipating Russia's answer.

"Wha-what was that?" was all Russia could manage to say at the moment.

"You tell me," the figure responded.

"Why?" Russia asked, "Why did you show me all that? I never asked for this! You had no ri-"

"I had all the right!" the Truth protested, "It's not your fault you got caught up in an alchemic rebound, but-"

"But what!" Russia shouted impatiently. _This "Truth" is getting on my last nerve!_

"Let me finish then!" the Truth hollered, "It wasn't your fault for this happening. However, because you ended up here, it's my job to show whoever enters the Gate the Truth. And now, you have to pay a toll for me revealing it to you."

"What? A toll?" Russia asked, "But that's not fair! I never agreed to this!"

"I _know _it's unfair, but what can you do about it? It's what I have to do," the Truth stated simply, "But because this all happened by accident, how about I make a deal with you?".

"What kind of deal?"

"I'll give you a say in what I take from you in exchange. It could be anything. An arm, a leg. Hell, even your stupid scarf will do!"

"What? No, anything but my scarf!" Russia pleaded, "My big sister Ukraine gave it to me when we were little and I never took it off ever since. It's like a part of my own body. I could never give it up!"

"Calm down, will you? I won't take your oh so special scarf," the Truth said almost mockingly, "Like I said before, _you're _deciding what I'm taking from you. So, what will it be?"

"Hmm, maybe my heart, I guess. It does seem to pop out of me sometimes and it does get kind of annoying when it does. People seem to freak out when it happens too," Russia said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Y-your heart? Are you sure?" the Truth asked.

"Well, I am the embodiment of a nation after all so that makes me immortal as long as my country doesn't fall," Russia explained, "I don't think if anything happens to me physically it will negatively affect my nation. It does work the other way around, though."

"If you say so," the Truth replied, "But don't blame me if you end up needing a transplant."

In no less than an instant later, Russia suddenly felt an empty feeling inside of his chest. Looking in front of him, he saw his heart being reconstructed and placed within the body of his Truth, who was giving the now literally heartless nation a cruel devilish chuckle.

_I hope I didn't just make a huge mistake..._

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*** chert voz'mi - Goddamnit in Russian ****(I used Google translate for this so if any of you guys know Russian out there please correct me!) *feels ashamed because I'm half Russian and barely knows any. :(***

**(1) The Battle of the Kalka River was when the warriors of Russia first encountered the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan in 1223.**

**(2) Ivan IV (popularly known as Ivan the Terrible) was the first Russian ruler to assume the title of Czar and reigned from 1547-1584.**

**(3) The Massacre of Prisoners was a series of mass executions committed by the Soviet NKVD against prisoners primarily in Poland, Ukraine, the Baltic States, and other parts of the Soviet Union from which the Red Army was withdrawing after the German invasion in 1941.**

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**And now onto the author's note!**

**Sorry if Russia seems a little OOC, but hey! He didn't have his vodka! It's not often when he gets to experience what fear feels like, so he just thinks he's turning soft or weak or something along those lines in his inner dialogue when he first saw the Truth. Or, maybe those kind of thoughts are really what he thinks like all the time and just hides it behind a sweet face? I mean, we all know those creepy things he said to France after the Allied Forces' meetings. *pleasure smiles***

**Anyways, I would just like to thank SpartanCommander, Shadow-Gaze14, XxAxelRoxasXionxX, and Doc (didn't feel like typing out your whole pen name) for their awesome reviews on the original 2nd chapter! I just love reading all the feedback and knowing that at least ****_some_**** people are actually reading my story. Thank you all so much!**

**Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and Hetalia are not mine! If they were, then I wouldn't be writing this story right now, or would I? (Fail disclaimer is a fail)**

**Be sure to review, everybody! I turned anonymous reviews on a while ago, so don't let that hold you back from pressing that review button! See ya!**


	4. Chapter 3: Amestris Becomes One WMR, da?

**A/N: Alright people that are still reading this, I'm sooo sorry I was dead for awhile and didn't update for so long. It was just that I was so busy with school and had some family problems but I know that's no excuse for putting this up late. And I had a bit of writer's block so that contributed to the lateness as well. But still, not an excuse! Please forgive me! And while you're thinking about whether or not you'll give me your forgiveness, enjoy reading this (late) installment of RRR!**

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_**Russian Rebound Reversal**_

_**Chapter 3: Amestris Becomes One With Mother Russia, Da?**_

**(lame chapter title is a fail)**

"Hey guys? How long has it been already?" Ling asked to hopefully break the awkward silence of waiting for Ed to return.

"It's been longer than just a few minutes, I know that for sure," Hawkeye answered.

"Then Fullmetal _should_ be back by now," Roy commented, "Unless something went wrong."

"No! Don't say things like that!" May shouted with a look of panic on her face, "If Ed doesn't come back than that means Al won't either!". The Xingese girl's distraught eyes started spewing tears out of them again.

"Wait everybody! Look! The transmutation circle!" Izumi exclaimed pointing to the glowing circle, still supporting Hohenheim on her shoulders.

Then Ling pointed out the very thought going through everyone's mind, "It has to be Ed!".

Out of the circle emerged, well nobody could tell who it was until the glowing died down. But even before the glow faded, everyone (except for Mustang obviously) could tell right away that whoever this young man was, he definitely _was not_ Ed. He was _way_ too tall. Not as tall as the mustachioed Major, but about a good ten centimeters taller than Mustang.

"Who is it?" the Colonel asked as he heard the sizzle of the transmutation fade away, "Is it Fullmetal?".

"No Sir," the Lieutenant replied, "But whoever he is, he appears to be unconscious."

"Then who _is_ this guy?" Ling asked, "We don't know him! So what would he be doing here? What happened to Ed? I-".

"Young Lord, I'm sorry for interrupting, but please calm down," Lan Fan broke in, "I know you're worried about what happened to Ed; we all are. But right now it seems we have to do something about this young man here."

In less than a moment later, Shou May scattered over toward the stranger lying down in the middle of the clearing, landing on top of his chest.

"Shao May! Get back here!" May hollered while persuing the petite panda bear, "What's wrong?". The panda nudged her head beside the stranger.

The girl crouched down beside the silver-haired young man, placing two of her fingers on his wrist. "He doesn't have a pulse! We have to get him to a hospital now!" she said urgently.

"But wait!" Ling shouted, "What about Ed and Al? Shouldn't we wait for them?".

"Don't you think _I_ want to wait for them, too?" May clamored, "I miss Al more than anything and I'm deeply worried about him and his brother, but right now someone's _life_ is at stake!". She glared daggers at her rival of their country's affairs, who apparently beat her due to his possession of the Philosopher's Stone.

Then a familiar female voice boomed into the clearing, "Men! Clear out now! That's an order!".

"Olivier! What are you doing here? You're still injured!" the Major asked his sister in a worried tone as he ran to her.

"If you haven't noticed, the battle's over now Alex!" the woman retorted sternly, rejecting her brother's sparkly affection, "Unless your thick skull couldn't process that! My being injured doesn't make me any less of a General to my men." She then turned promptly around towards the Briggs soldiers, "Didn't you hear me! I said move out! That's an order!".

The female General noticed two of her men standing near the young man. "And since you two lazy asses are still standing there, you're responsible for getting that man to the hospital, _now!_". The soldiers quickly followed their orders without a moment of hesitation.

And in just a matter of minutes the only people remaining in Central Command were the Colonel, Hawkeye, the Xingese bunch, Izumi, Hohenheim, and the chimeras Darius and Zampano, mind a few soldiers standing guard and a cleanup crew.

"Well, now what do we do?" Ling asked, "I mean, what if Ed and Al show up and we miss them because we went to the hos-".

"_Fullmetal_, can meet us at the hospital when he's done taking his sweet little time negotiating for his brother in the Gate," Mustang interrupted, "We're all injured and common sense should tell him we would seek some medical assistance, so quit worrying your ass off about the kid and get it checked out by a doctor instead!".

"Ugh, alright," Ling sighed wanting to tell the man off that that was no way to speak to the future emperor of Xing, but decided against it, "C'mon then guys, let's just get to the hospital."

"You all go on ahead without me then," Hohenheim said as the others started walking away, "You too, Mrs. Curtis. I'm fine standing on my own now." Izumi let the man down on his feet.

"Listen, Mrs. Curtis," Hohenheim started before she could join up with the others, "My Philosopher's Stone is running out and my remaining time is limited on this earth. I really want to be around to see my sons get heir bodies back, but right now I have somewhere that I have to be before my life runs out. I'm not going to make it back alive, so when they return from the Gate, could you please just tell my sons that I truly am sorry for leaving and not being there for them when they needed me most?"

"Oh, alright. Sure, I'll tell them," said Izumi, "But where is this place that is _so_ important that you can't even see your own sons one last time before you're dead?" she asked harshly.

"Back to Resembool," the golden-eyed man replied, "I have to make a special visit to a certain someone I made a promise to. And besides, Ed doesn't take much of a liking to me anyway so it wouldn't matter much to him."

"Oh," Izumi sighed, "Well I guess it was nice knowing you then, Van. And I hope you'll be able to keep your promise," she said with a slight smile on her face as she walked away to join the others.

While the rest of the citizens of Central were listening to the radio broadcast of the events that occurred during the Promised Day, Hohenheim remained in the Central Command Center keeping to himself and pondering through his thoughts.

_"You are the one who gave me blood, right? Don't you even want freedom, Hohenheim?"._

_"Okay then, what is it that makes you happy?"._

_"Well, I'd hate to be guilty of asking too much, but I think I'd be happy if I could just leave this flask."_

"You were born of my blood, dwarf in the flask. Homunculus," Hohenheim thought aloud, "In the end you and I were still as one." Then he could only stammer, "And I'm-".

"Mr. Hohenheim," a voice interrupted.

The man turned around to see Major Armstrong walking up to him.

"Listen, Mr. Hohenheim," the Major started, "I'm sorry that your sons weren't able to make it from the Gate. But mark my words I will be the first person to see to it that they will be given the utmost care and assistance once they return, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Why, thank you. I'm pretty sure I won't be around to greet them when they return, so I am grateful to know they'll at least be well taken care of."

"Nonsense. I am the one who is truly grateful," Hohenheim opened his eyes surprised by the Major's words, "We are all in debt to the efforts of Edward and Alphonse. Without those boys' relentless courage, this nation would be no more. Helping your sons out when they return will be the very least I can do for them," He bowed his head in gratitude to Hohenheim, "Thank you very much."

Van's body started to tremble from the impact of the thanks he was given and all he could say was "Thank you." At that, Hohenheim went straight towards the exit of the Command Center, tears streaming down his face as he walked away.

_**FMAxAPH 4EVA! **_

"Alright, so there you have it," Ed sighed while leaning back in Arthur's living room sofa after telling him his entire life story. Then he attempted eating one of Arthur's scones placed on the coffee table, which he instantly spat out and tried washing down its awful taste with some tea.

_Blech! Those scones are nasty! Hope I don't have to live with this guy's cooking for long. This tea's not half bad, though._

Honestly, Ed preferred coffee and would have asked his host for that instead of tea, but he didn't dare mention it after he had to endure hearing Arthur rant as he prepared the tea earlier about this huge debate he had with this guy named Alfred over which of the two beverages was better.

And how could Ed forget? The man was talking for what seemed like an eternity about the damn drink:

_"Oh, there really is no beverage quite as superior in taste as British tea. But this stupid friend of mine, well I suppose I shouldn't even call him a friend, but this American I know named Alfred, begs to differ. He's always saying how this drink called coffee is just __so__ much better. A lot of people I know, especially this French pervert named Francis, keep saying the damn blighter got his sense of taste from me. But I don't have the slightest clue of where they got __that__ idea. I mean seriously? He prefers that bitter coffee over my delicious tea! I swear, he absolutely loves to just push my buttons and looks for any opportunity to do so. I mean there was this one time the ungrateful git gathered up barrels of tea that I personally sent him and dumped them into a harbor! All that perfectly good tea gone to waste!"._

So Ed thought it would be in his best interest to keep his mouth shut on the subject.

"Wow," Arthur breathed, "You went through all that and now you're separated from your brother and your world by that Gate? You sure had a tough life, my friend."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Ed shrugged, "So, will you help me figure out a way to get back to my world?".

"Why sure," Arthur answered, "I don't see a reason for me _not_ to help you."

"Oh, thanks Arthur. That really means a lot," Ed replied after sipping some more of his tea. Hey, the tea was better than nothing. At least it wasn't _milk_. Oh, don't even get Ed _started_ on how much he despised the vile white liquid.

"Don't mention it," Arthur said, "I _am_ part of the reason why you're here in the first place after all, so it's the least a _gentleman_ like me can do."

"Yea," Ed muttered, "But anyway, what's the plan gonna be? I'm pretty sure I'm unable to use my alchemy in this world."

"Are you sure you can't use it here? Obviously my magic works here. Why don't you give it a go and see if it does," Arthur suggested.

_Well, I guess I might as well try it out to make sure. Oh God I hope this works._

"Alright then. Here goes nothing," the boy said as he clapped his hands together and planted them on the floor.

Nothing.

"So, was something _supposed_ to happen?" the confused Brit asked.

"_No_, I just felt like getting my hands comfy on your carpet!" Ed yelled sarcastically while getting himself out of his crouching position,"Of _course_ something was supposed to happen you dolt!"

"Well, _sorry!_ You don't have to get in such a cocky attitude with me then!" Arthur shouted back. Then he recollected himself and started speaking again, "Alright, how about we just calm down and think this over like gentlemen. There has to be a logical explanation for this."

"Said the guy who believes in _magic_," Ed snorted, "Let me give you a logical explanation. I ended up here on the other side of the Gate that divides from where it's possible to use alchemy from where you can't. And right now, I'm on the _can't_ side. So now, we have to find some other method to open up the Gate and get me back to the other side."

"Seems simple enough," said Arthur, "I think my magic will do us just the trick."

"You really think it's that simple? That you can just wave a magic wand and poof me back to my world?" Ed criticized, "But it just doesn't work that way, Arthur! We have to think about this! Do research! Put some damn effort into it!".

"Shut your mouth for a second, will you!" Arthur yelled, "Listen. I've got a whole library of magic spell books at my disposal, and we can do some research here to find a proper method of getting you back where you belong."

"Okay then," Edward said with a slight feeling of relief, "At least we can start off _somewhere. _Since alchemy is impossible here I guess magic is the next best thing."

"Now _that's_ the spirit," Arthur answered, "Now we can start hitting the books. But it's getting a little late and I have a meeting to attend tomorrow so I'd say we could do some research for about an hour before getting some shuteye. Is that alright with you?".

"Only an hour?" Ed asked disapointedly, "Well you're the one going to the meeting, so can I just pull off an all-nighter or something?".

"I suppose you could take a gander through my books as long as you want to," Arthur said as he placed a finger on his chin, "But you look like you had a rough day and thought you could have some decent rest as all. I mean you have a few small bloody scratches on your face and half of your shirt is practically ripped off. Your eyes look a bit dreary as well. It looks like you should call it a day."

"Oh. Yeah, you're right," Ed said while craning his neck a bit to get a look at himself in a mirror hanging on the wall, "And I do feel a bit tired. You mind if I clean myself up in your bathroom?".

"Not at all," Arthur replied, "In fact, I could help you bandage up your face if you want."

"Sure, I don't mind," Ed answered, "They're starting to sting a little anyway, but it's really not a big deal. Which room's the bathroom?".

"It's the second door to the right of the hall, but I'll be leading you there anyway to help you with the bandages," Arthur said sipping more of his tea, "Just let me finish the rest of my tea and I'll be ready to take you. Are you done with yours?".

"Yea, I'm done. Not much of a fan of tea, but it was pretty good to say the least."

"Thanks, Ed," Arthur replied after taking his last sip and placing his cup down on the coffee table, "Alright then. Now that I've finished my tea, how about we start bandaging your face up now, shall we?".

"Hold on," Ed said suddenly, "I have to do some, y'know, _business_ in there first for a moment. You said second door to right, right?".

"Yes, that's right. Take your time then. I'll clean our cups in the kitchen while you're at it. You can take the newspaper here in there if you want," he said while getting up, pointing to the newspaper on top of the coffee table.

"Uhh. Sure, thanks." Ed said grabbing the newspaper and trudging to the bathroom, thinking to himself for a moment.

_Something just feels off about that Arthur guy. He seems to be very hospitable but a bit irritable too. And that time earlier, when he almost referred to himself as his own country. That was probably a just a slip of the tongue or something. But I feel that he's hiding something from me. The way he answered that question about his positoin in his country's government, too. He stammered as if he was coming up with it on the spot. Maybe he was just nervous? Nah. There has to be something he's leaving out, but what? What could this guy have to hide?_

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**A/N: And yet again, I keep ending these chapters with a last thought from a character. I need to think of better writing tactics! Any ideas? Maybe I should request a beta or something. I'm still kind of new at this, so how exactly do I do that, and what exactly does a beta do, besides fix grammatical errors? Please, I need to know so I can improve my story.**

**And before I forget, I would like to give special thanks to Rashelle, Addicted to Yogert, XxAxelRoxasXionxX, and coolj0401! Honestly, thanks for reviewing on my previous chapter, guys! You're all awesomer then Prussia for it!**

**Disclaimer: No ownage whatsoever!**

**And lookie! I have Russia here!**

**Russia: *waves while holding a pipe behind his back***

**I don't want to be responsible for any accidents involving sweet little *glances upwards* I mean big and intimidating Ivan here, a non-reviewer's ceiling, and a bloody pipe, now do I? **

**So, review everybody! Anons and lazy log-in people are welcome too, y'know! See ya next time! ^-^**


	5. Chapter 4: A Surprise Appearance

**A/N: Hello again, readers! Sorry for the wait! But listen, what I'm about to say is very important to help you understand what's going on with the plot and has to do with the way the Gate works in this story. Even though this is taking place in Brotherhood, the Gate works as it did in the 2003 series. Just think of everything that happened in the ending of the first anime and the Conqueror of Shambala movie but during WW2 in our world with the Hetalia countries on the other side of the Gate while in the FMA world the events in Brotherhood are taking place. The reasons I chose Brotherhood for the setting of this story was because I wanted Truth to be involved and to include the Xingese characters. So just keep that in mind as the story progresses so it all makes sense later on. Now that I've got that out of the way, let's get on with the chapter!**

* * *

_**Russian Rebound Reversal**_

_**Chapter 4: A Surprise Appearance**_

_Massive German Airstrikes Hit Great Britain!_

Ed couldn't help but read the front page article of the newspaper Arthur lent him while doing his business in the bathroom. Apparently, there was some kind of world war happening on this side of the Gate. In the middle of reading the article, Ed thought he heard an engine noise going on outside.

_It's probably nothing, but with this world at war right now, who knows what it could be? I've just got to be careful while I'm stuck here so hopefully I can get back home in one piece._

Ed washed his hands after he finished doing his business and poked his head out of the bathroom door.

"'Ello there, Ed. And perfect timing too; I just finished the dishes," Arthur said turning his head around to face the alchemist, "Ready for me to bandage your face now?".

"Uh-huh. Sure," Ed replied.

Arthur quickly picked up a dish towel hanging on the rim of his oven and used it to dry his hands. After that he started walking over to join Ed in the bathroom. Once there, he opened up his medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of peroxide, a cotton ball, and some bandages.

He twisted the bottle's cap open and poured some peroxide inside of it, which he dipped a cotton ball in. With the cotton ball now damped with peroxide, Arthur started dabbing it all over Ed's face where scratches were present. With Ed's scratches now cleansed, he began applying the bandages.

While Arthur was doing this, Ed started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Never before had anyone, besides his mother or a nurse, been this close to his face. Even though he was a genius when it came to alchemy, he was no social butterfly, and this situation plus the fact it was being done by a man he had known for barely an hour made it all the more awkward for him. He started averting his eyes to the bathroom ceiling to avoid direct eye contact with his most recent acquaintance.

"There, does that feel better?" Arthur asked after applying the last bandage on Ed's face.

_Remind me again why I let this guy fix up my face. I could just as easily have done it myself._

"Yeah, thanks Arthur," Ed said, his eyes slowly drawing back to the face of his host, "So _now _can I take a look at some of your books for a bit before we go to bed? Just to familiarize myself with the material?" he insisted.

"Oh, alright," Arthur gave in, "I'll show you to the library then, but just for a little while, okay? I've had a long day."

"Yea yea, I know," Edward said nonchalantly as the two of them started walking down the hall.

After they ventured further into the maze also known as Arthur's hallway, they arrived at a pair of extravagant-looking mahogany double doors.

"Well, here we are," Arthur said plainly, placing his hands on the handles about to open the doors to his study.

_It probably isn't anything much. He doesn't sound too impressed with himself,_ Ed thought to himself before he got a chance to get a good glance at what was behind the doors.

_Woah! Guess I spoke too soon!_

Ed's mouth opened agape marveling at the hundreds, no tens of thousands of books on the shelves of Arthur's enormous library just begging to be read.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Ed exclaimed. In an instant the alchemist was flipping his fingers through the pages of the nearest book he could get his knowledge-prying hands on. "And all of these books are just research on magic?".

"Why yes, they are," Arthur answered proudly with a smug look on his face, "A lot of information can accumulate after researching over a span of hundreds of years."

"Hundreds of years?" Ed asked, "Who conducted all of this research?".

"Why, all of the previous owners of this mansion, of course!" Arthur asserted tensely, "Do I honestly _look _hundreds of years old to you?".

"No, I didn't mean it that way," Ed said trying to correct the Brit's misunderstanding, "Just wanted to know who did the research, that's all."

_Sheesh, what's his problem? He obviously couldn't have collected all of this research alone. He only looks like he's in his early twenties. Unless..._

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Huh? Arthur, what was that?" Ed asked after the rude banging interrupted his thoughts, "Don't you have a doorbell? Whoever's knocking must be banging pretty hard for us to hear it from all the way down here."

"Iggy! Open up!" a loud obnoxious voice shouted from the front door, "Don't make me bust down the door again!"

_Again? Just who is this guy?_

Arthur facepalmed. "Idiot. I told him a million times that I installed a doorbell so he wouldn't break the door down knocking," he grunted in an annoyed tone. Then he stuck his head out of the doors to his library and started screaming at the top of his lungs so the person knocking could hear,

"ALFRED! I HAVE A DOORBELL YOU TWIT! AND DIDN'T I GIVE YOU A KE-".

CRASH!

_Wait a sec. Alfred? Isn't that the name of the person Arthur argued with over tea? The way he was talking, he sounded like he hated his guts. Then why the hell would he give him a key to his house? Maybe to stop him from breaking down his doors?_

"Oh, God no. Not another door," Arthur muttered.

"Iggy! You here, dude?" the man now known as Alfred called as Ed heard his footsteps rushing down the hallway. Within seconds, a dirty blond head with an ahoge sticking out on the side revealed itself through the double doors. "Yo Brit-".

Arthur dashed over towards the man in his doorway and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"What in the name of Busby's Chair are _you_ doing here Alfred? And for the millionth time don't call me Iggy! It's Arthur! Got it?" he hollered at the American. Then he nudged a bit closer to the man's ear cupping his hand next to his mouth, "And for now don't refer to me as _you-know-what_," he whispered almost inaudibly, tilting his head towards Ed whose suspicion suddenly arose.

"Oh," Alfred said in realization now noticing the teen in Arthur's study, "So, who's the kid?".

"This is-"

"The name's Edward Elric," Ed butted in, extending a hand to give the man a handshake, "And you must me Alfred. Arthur's told me _a lot_ about you."

"Oh really? What'd he say 'bout me?" Alfred asked curiously taking up the offer to shake Edward's hand.

"Oh nothing really. It was just that he went on _forever_ about how much you love coffee and dumped a bunch of his tea into a harbor. And if I'm not mistaken, I remember seeing on one of his maps some drawings of-"

"That's enough, Ed!" Arthur yelled at the boy, his cheeks reddening, "And Alfred! Why the bloody hell are you even here in the first place? The meeting tomorrow's in Washington D.C! Unless you forgot your own capital."

"Why I'm here?" Alfred echoed, "Because me, being the amazing hero that I am, arrived here to come with you on the plane ride back to my place to make sure you get to the meeting safe! I flew all the way here on my own plane to pick you up! It took me like, eight hours to get here, man! And the meeting starts at four o'clock tomorrow so-".

_A plane? Must be some kind of flying transportation in this world. I guess that explains the engine sounds I heard earlier. And he flew here in eight hours, too? That thing must go fast if he came all the way from that country America._

"But that's nine o'clock at night in my time zone," Arthur interrupted, "So we should leave at one in the afternoon tomorrow at the latest to make it there in time." Then the Brit paused as if a sudden thought had just struck him, "Uh, Alfred?".

"Yes, Br- I mean Arthur?".

"Where exactly did you land your plane?".

"Oh, about that," he said sheepishly rubbing a hand behind his neck, "I didn't see any landing spots nearby so I just landed it on your front lawn."

"WHAT? YOU DAMN IDIOT! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Arthur bellowed.

"Like I said I didn't see any land-".

"Outta my way!" Arthur shouted as he pushed the American out of his way and started running down the hall.

"Iggy! What's wrong? Where ya goin'?" Alfred asked innocently.

"IT'S ARTHUR!" he yelled already halfway down the hall.

"C'mon Ed!" Alfred said grabbing Ed whose mind was still in research mode, "Let's go see what Iggy's up to!".

"Get off me! I don't wanna go! I was in the middle of doing research!" shouted Ed, who was reluctant to leave Arthur's study and attempted to pry the man's gloved hand off of his arm, which proved to no avail.

_Man, he has a tight grip!_

But Alfred continued to drag the boy down the hall, "Lighten up, man. You'll have plenty of time to research more magicy stuff when me and Arthur go to the meeting tomorrow. You're big enough to look after yourself, aren't cha?".

"Of course I'm big enough! Just how old do you think I am?" Ed questioned loudly.

"I dunno, uhh, twelve?".

_Oh no, he didn't!_

"I'm sixteen!" Ed remarked defensively.

"Really? If that's the case, than you're really short for your age!".

A blood vessel seemed to pop out of the angered alchemist's head. _Oh, now that's it!_

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL THAT TO HIM A CLOWN CAR IS THE SIZE OF A MONSTER TRUCK YOU JERK!" Ed short ranted flailing his limbs aggressively at the American.

"Woah, calm down there dude! Sorry, I had no idea you took your height so personally." Then he pulled a random hamburger out of his bomber jacket, "Here. I was saving it for later. If you already tasted Iggy's cooking you would know why I brought it, but you can have it. I ate all the others on the plane ride here."

"A burger you had stashed in your jacket for over eight hours? No thanks," Ed scoffed. _This guy's an idiot if he thinks he can just offer fast food to people and expect instant forgiveness._

"You sure you don't want it?".

Ed nodded.

"Oh well, more for me!". Alfred let go of Ed's arm to unwrap his burger and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. "Mmm-hmm! So good! You're missing out, dude!" he said with his mouth still full. Ed cringed in disgust. He tried backing away and darting back towards Arthur's study.

"Yo Ed! You're going the wrong way, man!" Alfred said regaining his grasp on Ed's arm, "Come on. I'll be the hero and lead you the right way to Iggy. This way!".

And from then on the two of them continued through the corridors of Arthur's mansion until they reached the front door, which was now just a doorway, thanks to Alfred. Looking out onto the front lawn, a distressed Arthur was crouched beside a garden demolished by a streak of dirt that lead to the wheels of some kind of strange vehicle.

_That must be the machine Alfred flew here. A plane, if I heard correctly. The design looks kind of cool, to say the least. I like the shark face on the front of it. Finally someone with a sense of style like mine! Alfred said it could fly, didn't he? If so, I wonder what actually would make it capable of flight. Maybe those wings sticking out on the sides? Man, if Winry was here that contraption would be in a million pieces by now..._

"No! My precious rose bush! It's destroyed!" Arthur weeped to a pile of crushed roses scattered across his garden. Along with the roses were the remains of other various flowers and plants that Arthur grew in his garden: thistles, Scottish Bluebells, daffodils, and even a few shamrocks in the surrounding grass*. After taking in the destruction before him, Arthur craned his head around giving Alfred a fiery deathglare, "ALFRED!".

"Come on, Iggy. It was an honest mistake."

"No it wasn't! Only a bleeding idiot like you would mistake my lawn for a landing pad!".

"There weren't any around! I didn't think it would cause _this_ much damage to your yard!".

"That's because you never think things over you bloody git!".

"Sheesh, calm down, Iggy. I'll pay for all this. Your door, your yard, everything! No need to make such a huge deal."

"That's not the point, Amer- I mean Alfred! You can't just get out of things like this by flaunting your money around! You have to be more responsible for your actions! Oh, where did I go wrong with you?" Arthur said with a sigh.

Alfred stared at Arthur with a slightly saddened look on his face, "Listen Ig- no, Arthur. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it," he apologized, "I just thought it would be the quickest way to get to you, you know? You were just at my house not that long ago and you got all mad at me after I interrupted your voodoo magic thingy cuz you were mad at, uhh Ludwig. I mean, with this war going on, I didn't want anything else to happen to you and I wanted to be the hero and protect you and stuff. For now can I just call someone to fix your door for a start to being responsible?" Alfred asked.

"Ugh. Alright, go ahead. The number's in the book next to my phone, although I've already memorized it from the results of just about all of your visits."

"Heheh. Sorry 'bout that. I'll just get to calling now," Alfred said leaving the doorway to the phone.

With Alfred in the house Ed had his chance to talk with Arthur and get some damn answers. Arthur, whose bushy eyebrows were still furrowed from his previous anger towards Alfred, got up and trudged back to the doorway of his house.

"The way he was acting before. Is he normally like that?" Ed asked pointing a thumb behind him towards Alfred.

"Like what? Obnoxious, annoying, ignorant, a pain in the arse, shall I go on?".

"No need to; I get it. But if he's such a bother to you all the time, why'd you give him a key to your house? Because that didn't really stop him from busting down your door."

"I know. I haven't told you this yet Ed, but he's actually my younger brother. Well, not by blood. It's more like he's adopted," Arthur explained, "And as you saw earlier, we don't exactly get along much. But he's still my brother nonetheless, and I've got to look after him and help him when he needs it."

"Oh. I had no idea he was your brother. It must have been tough growing up with him, though. He only looks about four years younger than you. But what about your parents? Couldn't they help you both out?".

"I don't have any parents. They, uhh, passed away a long time ago and I was left raising him alone. Until that one day he decided to move out and be independent. Then he moved to his home country America and eventually became it's representative like how I am for the U.K. How he got involved in politics and did it I have _no_ idea."

"Well, he does seem to be the ambitious type. Maybe that's what made his country want him to represent them for."

"Yea, I believe so, too," Arthur replied, "He's got a good head on his shoulders, even if he doesn't use it all the time, but he could pull through if he had too. Even when he was younger I could tell he was that way, although then and especially now I could never say it to his face."

"Arthur! You've gotta come in here right now!" Alfred called from inside, "It's really important!".

"What? The repair man can't make it? It _is_ getting a little late." he said as he walked back into his house.

"No, that's not it. He said he'll be here in half an hour. But you just got a call from Ivan's sister in Ukraine. Yekaterina, I think her name is, and it's urgent!". He paused for a second trying to listen on the other end of the phone, "What? Ivan's gone missing and can't make it to the meeting tomorrow? That's terrible!".

"Alfred! Hand me me blasted phone already! The poor girl's gone through quite enough without you damaging her eardrum!" Arthur shouted as he snatched the phone away from Alfred. "Oh, and while I'm speaking could you please make yourself useful and show Ed to the guest room?".

"The guest room? But that's where _I_ sleep!" Alfred whined, "Does that mean I'll have to sleep with you?".

"Have you _seen_ the size of my mansion? There's another guest room across from it in the hall. And besides, the last place I'd want to sleep is in the same bed as _you." _

"That hurts, man."

"Oh shut up will you?".

A panicked female voice could suddenly be heard from the phone's receiver.

"Oh, sorry about that, Yekaterina. I was just talking to Alfred," Arthur explained to the girl on the phone. Then in a hushed tone he added, "Yea, I'm with someone where I have to say those in front of. So _what_ exactly happened to Ivan?".

Arthur's voice faded away as Ed and Alfred made their way down the hall to get to their rooms. While doing so, Ed tried figuring out what exactly Arthur could have been talking about on the phone.

_Say __what__ in front of? Are they using aliases and are some kind of criminals or something? Maybe even secret government agents? Ugh! I just hope I didn't just get involved in anything too classified or dangerous that could end up in me getting killed. Al and I have still got a home to get back too and..._

"Here's your room, Edo!" Alfred announced loudly as if he were some kind of game show host giving away a cruise while pushing the door open.

The room was quite large to say the least, though it wasn't much of a surprise to Ed compared to the rest of the rooms in the mansion. In the room was a queen-sized bed with a crimson red veil overtop and across from it was a large wooden chestnut-brown bureau with a mirror and drawers for clothes storage. (If Ed had brought any clothes, that is.) On one wall were two windows with curtains that matched with the veil on the bed that had a wonderful view of the backyard.

"Iggy didn't tell me he was letting anyone sleep over," said Alfred, "Especially with a meeting tomorrow and all. Don't you have a bag with you?".

"Uhh, no. I kind of got here by accident. So I didn't bring anything with me."

"What? By accident? Then what _happened_ to you?" Alfred asked while leaning in and getting a better look at the alchemist, "You look all beat up! And what up with all these metal pieces sticking out of your arm? Are you like some kind of alien cyborg or something? Oh. My. God. WOO-HOO! I KNEW IT! ALIENS AND UFOs _ARE_ REAL! TAKE _THAT_ IGGY AND MR. PRESIDENT GUY!" Alfred cheered while jumping up in the air and pumping his fists.

"What! I'm no alien you dumbass!" Ed hollered at the _older_ man in front of him, stopping him from his antics.

"Than what exactly _are_ you?" Alfred questioned.

"Well, I'm an alchemist from another world that is on the other side of some sort of Gate. I used alchemy; Arthur used magic at the same time, and I ended up here. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh. It's some confusing magic-related thing isn't it?".

Ed was too tired and just wasn't in the mood to explain alchemy or any specific details of how he got here; not to this guy. So he just went along with it, "Yea, exactly. I wouldn't be able to explain without confusing you or anything, so let's just leave it at that. Well, goodnight Alfred!" he ended, trying to scoot the man out of his room.

"But wait a sec, Ed. Are you going to bed wearing _that_? Your clothes are all ripped up!". Then he thought for a moment, "Ooh! I've got an idea!".

Alfred ran towards the bureau and started going through the drawers. "Here's something!" he said while pulling out an old cap and nightgown.

"No way! I am not wearing that! It would look ridiculous on me!" Ed yelled.

"Yeah, you're right. And I'm pretty sure it wouldn't fit that good on you either."

Ed ignored whether or not the man was trying to insult him on his height with that comment. He was too tired and just wanted to get some rest now. There was plenty of time for research tomorrow, anyway. He turned to the bed and was about to lay down when...

"But wait! I just remembered!" Alfred interrupted once again. "I've got an extra pair of pajamas in my bag. I left it on the plane so just give me a minute!" he said as he dashed out of the room.

_Finally, he's gone; at least for now that is. Now what was I thinking about earlier? Oh yeah, Al and I have to get back home. And I can't let her cry again. I just can't. She's done so much for me during these tough years: gave me a new arm and leg and encouraged me all the way down this path. I __need__ to get back home. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but no matter what the price may be I've at least got to try..._

"Yo Ed! Catch!" Alfred shouted as he hurled his pajamas at the boy, who was too deep in his thoughts to pay him any mind. And as he closed the door he muttered to himself, "Hmm. I don't remember packing half of these clothes with me. Oh well..."

With Alfred out of the room Ed put on his pajamas and lay down in the bed pulling the covers up to his chest, his thoughts remaining intact even as he closed his eyes until he drifted to sleep.

_For your sake...Alphonse...Winry..._

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***Since the UK is comprised of 4 different countries, and each country in Britain has its own national flower, I thought I'd put them all into Britain's garden. England's flower is the English Rose, Scotland's is the Thistle and Scottish Bluebell, Wales' is the Daffodil, and Northern Ireleand's is the Shamrock.**

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**_Edit: A huge thanks to SpartanCommander for helping me out with suggesting I edit Ed's reaction to America's plane. I really appreciate it!_**

**So now the moment of gratitude for my wonderful reviewers! A huge thanks to Rose Thourn, XxAxelRoxasXionxX, SpartanCommander, Bumblebeecamaro38, anonomas russia fan, **** SHOuLDADoNEmAHoMEwoRK, BlizzardNight, and Habato! ****I love reading feedback and will try to start responding to reviews if I can. Thanks, everybody!**

**Disclaimer: FMA and Hetalia are not mine and never will be! I ****_do_**** however, own both of these series on DVD (including the movies CoS and PiW!) and have plushies of Edward and one of Alphonse cuddling a kitty! Gosh, they're so _cute!_**


	6. Chapter 5: Ivan's Awakening

**A/N: (I really need to make these shorter. -_-**'** The actual word count for just the story is about 4063 according to the site I used.) Sorry for the late update, guys! Writer's block and stupid parents trying to force me outside for the summer everyday are the **_**worst. **_**I actually got a head start writing the next chapter, so expect a quicker update next time! I was going to add it to this chapter but it didn't seem to fit because I wanted this to focus on Russia like the last chapter did for Ed. **

**Now on with the chapter!**

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_**Russian Rebound Reversal**_

_**Chapter 5: Ivan's Awakening**_

"Excuse me, Dr. Hermann. But I think this patient's waking up."

_Huh? What's going on? Where am I?_

Russia wondered where he was as he drowsily fluttered his violet eyes open, his pupils having trouble adjusting to the bright light suspended above him. The first thing he saw as his eyes gradually opened was a man in a white lab coat meticulously examining a clipboard and a young woman in a nurse's outfit staring at him. He was also able to get a good glance outside the window in the room, which indicated it was already sometime in the late evening. How long had he been out?

"That's impossible," the man previously referred to as a doctor said candidly to the nurse, "He didn't even have a pul-"

_Where did that strange figure go? Maybe if I take a look around..._

The nation struggled in his attempt to force himself out of the bed, pushing the white bedsheets aside and rotating his lower body to the side.

"He's trying to get up!" the nurse's shrill voice shouted.

"What? Calm down, Nurse Miller," to doctor said, taking his eyes off of the clipboard he was previously so engrossed in. "Sir!" he yelled, suddenly noticing what his patient was trying to do, "You can't get out of bed yet. You still need time to heal," he told Russia as the nurse gently got a hold of him and put him back in a laying position down on the bed.

"Why not?" he asked the two other occupants in the hospital room, "I'm perfectly fi-"

A sudden jolt of pain struck the left side of the nation's chest, triggering his hands to go straight towards the source, clenching it tightly. It felt like a high pressure developing in the area around where his heart would have been, almost as if something was, _growing_. And whatever could have been growing in there was leaving a weak pounding within his chest. "Oww...My heart..." he groaned, "What happened to me?"

"We're not sure," the doctor answered while taking a short glance at the clipboard, his other hand running through his course hair, "According to the results of the tests we ran on you earlier, every function in your body is working just fine, except for your pulse or heartbeat, which we can't seem to detect. The only thing we know that happened to you is that a few hours ago you were found in the middle of Central Command after appearing out of a transmutation circle. "

_A transmutation circle? Why does that sound familiar to me? Was it something that Truth person showed me?_

"Central Command?" Russia asked curiously as he slightly tilted his head a few degrees to the side, resembling a confused puppy, "Would you mind telling what country I'm in?"

"You're in the country of Amestris. Are you not from here? What's your name, son?"

_Hmm...Amestris. I've never met that country before. Maybe when I do and get better I could make it become one with Mother Russia, da?_

"Uhh...My name's Ivan Braginski," the nation answered with a small hint of hesitation in his voice, "I'm from Russia."

"Russia? I'm afraid I never heard of it before," the doctor said, flipping back a few pages on the clipboard and jotting down the information on his new patient, "Is it small or far away from here?"

"Well, I'm not sure how far away it is from this country, but I can assure you it is _not_ small," Russia objurgated clearly taken aback, his temper slowly boiling. The doctor flinched a bit at the nation's sudden rebuke.

_How dare this man say that he never heard of me before? I'm the largest country in the world! Oww...Heart again...owww... _

Now it was Ivan's turn to flinch, the pain reentering and the pressure within his chest rising to a higher extent.

_I need to watch it or my heart's going to give out, _Russia thought as he calmed himself down and set the pain aside.

"Do you remember what happened to you before you came here?" the doctor asked, clearly unaware of Ivan's inner turmoil.

"Well, I was in my house," Russia began simply, trying his best to tune out the pain, "And a glowing circle with these odd designs appeared beneath me. I'm not sure if it was a dream or not, but I was in this place that was completely white and a strange figure started talking to me. I was pulled into these huge stone doors and information was drained into my head. Then the figure took my heart away and I woke up here."

"Took your heart away?" the doctor echoed, placing an index finger on his chin, "Then it must have just been a dream. It's too illogical not to be. You would be dead if it literally ripped your heart right out of yo-"

The sound of a bed creaking interrupted the doctor, immediately followed by a deep yet feminine-sounding groan coming from another side of the room divided by a curtain. From under the curtain Russia saw two feet making a sudden appearance.

"Oh, Mrs. Curtis," the nurse said while walking to the other side, "You're still injured. You shouldn't be out of bed either."

"I'm sorry, but would it be alright if I spoke with Ivan in private for a while?" Ivan heard a woman's voice ask from the other half of the hospital room, "I think I know what happened to him."

"You do?" the surprised nurse replied. A slender hand appeared from behind the curtain and pulled it over slightly so only the nurse's head was revealed. Then to the doctor she asked, "Dr. Hermann? Is it alright with you if Mrs. Curtis speaks with Mr. Braginski in private?"

"I don't see why not. It won't do any harm," he answered after only thinking for no less than a second, tucking the clipboard under his arm. That being said, the curtain was drawn back further and a fair-skinned woman with long black hair worn in microbraid dreadlocks emerged from behind. Russia also noticed a strange tattoo located on the left side of her collarbone, resembling a snake-entangled cross with wings and a crown, probably a personal crest of hers. "We'll leave you two alone for a bit. Just give us a call if you need anything, okay?"

"Don't worry about me," the woman said, assurance clearly displayed in her voice, "I'll be fine. But I'll be sure to call you over if anything's wrong with Ivan here."

And with that the doctor and nurse each gave a quick nod and headed out of the room, leaving Russia alone with the woman.

"You think you know what happened to me?" Ivan asked trying to get right to the point as soon as the woman seated herself down in a stool normally reserved for visitors.

"Yes, I do. Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name's Izumi Curtis. I believe I heard you say your name was Ivan, right?"

"Uh-huh. But you know what I was talking to the doctor about? Everything about that gate and the white figure?"

"Yes. But Ivan, I need to ask you something important first. Do you have any close friends or family members that, you know, passed on? That you really cared about?" she asked in a concerned, almost motherly tone.

"No, but what does that have to do with what I saw?"

"So you didn't commit human transmutation to bring someone back to life? You just appeared at the Gate for no reason?"

"Yeah, I was just opening up my fridge and it all just, well, _happened. _But that figure, it _did_ mention something about me getting caught up in an alchemic rebound that I got involved in somehow."

_But just how did I get involved? Maybe Britain? He uses magic, which seems close enough to alchemy. Who else could it be?_

"And when you saw that figure, did it call itself the Truth?"

"It did. But how would you know?" Russia asked curiously, "Did you ever meet it yourself?"

A look of sheer sadness and regret seemed to wash over Izumi's face. "Yes, I did. But I deserved it, unlike you," she told him, placing a hand and looking down onto an area around her stomach, "Years ago, I tried to resurrect my baby, and lost parts of my inner organs as a result."

"Your organs?" Russia repeated, "It must have been terrible, losing your baby, trying to bring it back, only to end up losing a part of your own body."

"But I overheard you telling that doctor that you lost your heart as your toll for seeing the Truth," Izumi reminded him, sympathy showing in her voice, "And you didn't do _anything_. I knew the Truth was cruel before but this is just ridiculous. Forcing knowledge onto innocent people that didn't even ask for it and taking things away from them just for the hell of it."

"Yeah, I know," Russia answered, "But because the whole thing was an accident, it made a deal with me. It let me choose which body part it would take from me as the toll, and I chose my heart."

_My heart...I hope nothing too bad happened in Moscow..._

"Wait, but why would you just give away your heart like that?" Izumi asked, "It's one of the most vital organs in your body, next to your brain. If I had the choice, I would have given away an arm or a leg. You don't necessarily need _those _to survive."

"I know, but when I had my heart, it would pop out of me sometimes and it got annoying after a while," the nation recalled, "People always acted all weird and freaked out when it happened so I thought giving it away would be a good idea."

After hearing that, Izumi just stared blankly at Russia for a minute as if she was trying to wrap her mind around what he just told her.

"Hey, Mrs. Curtis," Ivan said placing his hand onto her shoulder and nudging her lightly, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I-Ivan? Are you, a normal human?" she asked finally after coming out of her trance, taking Russia's hand off with her own. The touch of her skin felt surprisingly soft, yet firm at the same time. "Because living without a heart? That just doesn't make any sense. What exactly _are_ you?"

_Der'mo,*I shouldn't have brought that up so carelessly. Now I have no choice but to tell her I'm a country. Well, I guess it's a fair trade since she told me about her committing human transmutation, which I think would be a crime, but still._

"I'm not exactly sure about how I should put this..." Russia muttered just loud enough for Izumi to hear, rubbing a sweaty hand behind his bare neck. Wait a second, his _bare_ neck?

"Augh! My scarf! My sister gave that to me! Where'd it go?"

"Your scarf? I'm pretty sure it would be in the drawer of that stand next to you, along with that coat you were wearing," Izumi answered, "The hospital staff took them off of you so they could run those tests on you. That bulky winter wear you had on would have gotten in the way.

Russia hastily scrambled his arms to the drawer and pulled out his beloved scarf, sighing in relief. Right then he wrapped it around his neck.

"Wait, we were talking about me telling you my secret, da? I will, but you have to promise not to tell _anyone_."

"My lips are sealed," Izumi said reassuringly, "I'm sure it can't be anything _that_ bad."

Russia sighed. "I'm just going to be blunt," he stated, violet eyes coming into dead contact with blackish blue, "I'm the embodiment of a nation."

"What?" Izumi responded sounding unconvinced, "You can't be serious."

"But I _am_. Remember that country I was talking about with the doctor? I'm Russia. Ivan Braginski is just my human name," he explained, "My heart is supposed to represent my capital, Moscow. Hopefully nothing too bad happened there by me giving it as a toll. If there's any damage there I'm pretty sure after it's all fixed up my heart will fully grow back and I'll be good as new."

"Wait. If by any chance you _are_ the embodiment of that country Russia, does that mean there are other nation personifications, too?"

"Ugu*, for every nation, really," Russia answered, "There's my allies America, China, Britain, France..."

"None of those places ring a bell to me," a confused Izumi interrupted, "Are you sure they're all countries?"

"What? You heard of none of them?" Russia asked with wide eyes, "I mean, America's a world superpower. Everyone knows about him, and all the other countries too. Especially with a world war going on."

"A war? There's no war going on. None that I know of," Izumi said, "And I'm pretty sure everyone in Amestris would be aware of it if it was as large-scale as a world war."

_The people in this country don't know about the world war? That's impossible, unless I'm in another world. But what's the chance of that?_

"That Gate," Russia suddenly thought aloud, the disturbing scene he'd been through earlier that day flashing through his mind, "Do you think there could be another side to it? Maybe I'm from a different world and the Gate took me here."

"That's a possibility," Izumi pondered, "Different countries. Different world affairs. Different _world_. It's the only explanation that makes sense at the moment." She paused in thought for a second. "And that circle Edward drew that you came here from. That, plus another use of alchemy that somehow involved you, must have caused the rebound that brought you here."

_Eduard? Could Estonia be here too? Nyet*, it's probably just a coincidence. I'll ask anyway._

"Edward? Who's he?" Russia asked, his interest suddenly piqued.

"Oh, he's just my old apprentice," Izumi answered, "It's a long story to explain his whole childhood, but to say the least, his mother passed away when he and his younger brother Alphonse were little and after they went through alchemy training with me they committed human transmutation to try to bring her back. They failed, and Ed lost his left leg as the toll and Al lost his entire body. Ed gave up his right arm to bind Al's soul into a suit of armor."

_Oh well, so it's not the same Eduard after all..._

But Izumi wasn't finished. "Then the damn brat goes against my teachings and decided to become a dog of the military!" she added while wearing a pissed off expression, an eerie dark aura surrounding her as she pounded her fists into each other.

"That boy joined the military?" Russia asked, ignoring that Izumi just stole the scary purple aura that originally belonged to him,"Why? How old was he then?"

"Becoming a dog of the military, or as they call it, a state alchemist, means you can get unlimited access to research that would be restricted to normal civilians. He wanted to use the research to find a method for him and his brother to get their original bodies back." Izumi explained.

Then to answer Russia's second question she continued, "My stupid pupil was twelve years old when he became a state alchemist. On the downside, becoming one of the military's dogs also means you have to swear complete loyalty to the state and follow every single order you're given, whether you like it or not. And if worse comes to worse and war broke out, to become a human weapon."

"Oh," Russia breathed callously as if the whole concept of being a state alchemist was nothing but a mere children's bedtime story to him, leaving no emotional reaction whatsoever. (He _is_ a rather corrupted nation and is used to this sort of thing. What can I say?) "So, where's this Edward kid now?"

Once again a slightly saddened look showed on Izumi's face, but only for a split second. Within the next she returned to her normally stern expression.

"It's really complicated. To make a long story short there was this homunculus named Father that tried to obtain the power of God for himself," she started, not confusing Ivan too much. He already had a gradual understanding of alchemic terms since he had seen the Truth. "You see, Edward had this artificial limb to replace his right arm called automail, which was completely destroyed when we all tried to stop him. His other arm was impaled on some nearby rebar and he was rendered helpless. Al realized that since Ed was able to give up his arm to bring back his soul, he could probably reverse the exchange and he was able to restore Ed's original right arm. After we were finally able to defeat Father, Ed drew a human transmutation circle in the middle of a clearing and transmuted himself to get his brother back, but you showed up instead. Wherever Ed ended up is anyone's guess."

"So Ed used alchemy? It sounds familiar. I think the Truth showed it to me when I was in the Gate."

"Really?" Izumi asked, "Do you remember anything about it?"

"Maybe some of the basics, I gue-" A fit of coughing followed Ivan's unfinished words. He looked onto the hand he coughed into and saw a few drops of blood.

_No... My...heart... It...can't be...giving out...already... _

Blackness seemed to cloud the nation's conscience. He tried his hardest to keep a good grasp on reality, slipping in and out of consciousness...

_I thought it...just grew...back..._

"Oh no. Ivan! Are you alright?"

Russia felt the woman shaking him back and forth repeatedly in a vain attempt to wake him up, but the darkness eventually took over, and the nation had no choice but to give in.

_**FMAxAPH 4EVA! (Sorry this doesn't fit the mood)**_

"Doctor! Ivan's passed out! You have to get in here!" Izumi hollered halfway making it to the hall.

"Passed out? Be right there!" she heard the doctor's voice reply from the hospital hallway, his rushed footsteps drawing closer towards the room.

"How did this happen?" the doctor asked as he hurriedly walked inside.

"I'm not sure. He was in the middle of finishing a sentence and he started coughing blood into his hand. Right after that he started to pass out, and now he's like this. It must be something wrong with his heart," she said in a tone a mother would use in worry for her child.

"Calm down, Izumi. You can't afford to worry yourself over this young man. You barely knew him for that long, anyway," he said trying to assuage the woman's concern, which wasn't working, "Just try to get some rest for now while you can."

"Oh, Mrs. Curtis!" Izumi heard a cheery sing-song voice call from the hallway as the doctor was about to gesture her towards her bed. The nurse from earlier, the owner of said voice, made her way in the room, "Your husband just called the office. He said he'll be here to visit you soo-What happened to Mr. Braginski?" the nurse asked, her eyes opened in surprise.

"Bad timing, Nurse Miller," the doctor sighed exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose and turning his head in the nurse's direction. Then in a serious tone he told her, "Ivan just passed out, and we need to operate on his heart, stat."

"Alright doctor. I'll get the operating room ready for you," the nurse said immediately, switching to a more taking-her-job-seriously disposition, "And Mrs. Curtis. Your husband should be here in a few minutes," she added on a lighter note as she spun on her heel and walked out of the room.

In a few minutes she and another nurse returned with a stretcher. They lifted Ivan off of his bed and quickly strapped him in. Izumi could still see him breathing shakily, but just barely. The light from the ceiling lamp intensified the paling of his clammy skin. He already looked pale before; he probably lived in an area with a cold climate. But now, he was paler than a pure white magnolia in the moonlight, and the thought that this young man could possibly die made Izumi wonder.

This man, this young man she had just met, lost his heart for no apparent reason. How is that justified? How could that possibly follow the law of equivalent exchange? It didn't, and it gave the woman a feeling of betrayal within herself. It went against everything she believed and put her faith in. And now, this concept she kept for so long engraved in her heart, mind, and soul, just seemed to laugh and slap her in the face.

_Man, I'm such a softie, aren't I? Feeling pity for every sad soul I meet. If anything happens to him, does that mean his entire country will suffer? If that's the case I just hope he was lying about being a nation._

While Izumi was pondering her thoughts, the hospital staff left and pushed Ivan out of the room, taking him to surgery.

"Izumi!" a familiar gruff voice caught her from surprise, "Are you alright?" She was still facing Ivan's bed when suddenly her husband Sig came up from behind and locked her in a warm embrace in his gargantuan arms.

"Oh, I'm fine dear," she said with a false smile, "My roommate was just taken into surgery."

"You don't look that fine to me. What's wrong?" Sig asked, seeing past his wife's façade, "Was he that silver-haired young man I saw in the hallway? He didn't look too good."

Her smile dropped. "Yes, that was him. His name's Ivan. He seemed fine until he started spitting up blood. There were problems going on with his heart, and they had to operate on him right away."

"Oh, that's too ba-"

"But there was something else about him," Izumi interrupted, "He saw it. The Truth."

"What? He committed human transmutation?" Sig asked in surprise.

"No, he didn't," she answered, "Wait, did anyone tell you about Ed? What he did after we defeated Father?"

"Yeah. A military officer told me. What's he got to do with this?"

"It's just a theory," Izumi started, "But I think Ed's transmutation and another that occurred at the same time caused a rebound. One that made Ivan show up here. He's originally from another world, located on the other side of the Gate. When he had to pass through, he came across the Truth, and he lost his heart," she finished, leaving out any parts that would lead her husband to thinking he wasn't human.

"His heart? I wonder how he could have survived that. Are you sure it wasn't just a part of his heart?"

"He didn't go into details. He said his heart, and that's all," she lied. She felt terrible, doing this to her husband. But she promised not to reveal Ivan's secret, and she wasn't going to break it.

"Do you know when they're going to let you out of here?" Sig asked.

_Good. He changed the subject. I was starting to feel uneasy talking about Ivan, anyway._

"The doctor said I'd be out in a couple days," she answered, laying back down on her bed, her husband sitting beside her. Then a thought occurred to her, "Do you mind us taking in a guest for awhile?"

"A guest? Who?"

"Like I said earlier Ivan's from the other side of the Gate and has no place to stay. I thought he could stay with us until we figure out a way to send him back. I'll have to ask him first."

I dunno, but if he has no other place to stay, sure. I'm okay with him staying."

"Thanks, hun," Izumi told her husband, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

_If Ivan makes it through the surgery, _she thought,_ I'm not sure if there's a God out there, but if there is, just make sure Ed and Ivan are okay. I don't come to you for help that often, so please let something good happen in my life. Just this once._

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*****_**Der'mo!**_** - Shit! **

*****_**Ugu**_** - Russian equivalent of "uh-huh" or "yeah." **

_***Nyet**_** - No. **

**(All of these are phonetic translations on Google. I'm not using original Russian letters so people can pronounce them. If any of these are wrong please correct me.)**

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**A/N: What will happen to Ivan? What will happen at the next world meeting without him? Why am I asking you all of these questions? Sorry for the cliffie. Heheh...I guess you'll have to find out next chapter!**

**For some self-advertising, I just published a new story! It's another FMAxHetalia crossover but this time it will be a oneshot series! I posted up my intro chapter but the oneshots won't officially start until around July 1st-4th. Wish me luck on finishing my first oneshot in time!**

**To wrap this up, I give my utmost thanks to all of my readers, especially the ones who favorited, alerted, and most of all for the lovely reviews! Thank you xXAxelRoxasXionxX, Rose Thourn, coolj0401, BlizzardNight, Habato, SpartanCommander, Box of Tomato Fairy, RowanQuill, somniorum et nives mortis, Manga-Otaku121344, and Alisiya. and. co for the reviews! You have no idea how much they mean to me. Keep up the awesome reviews everyone! ^-^**

**Disclaimer: It is with a heavy heart I admit that the exclusive rights to Fullmetal Alchemist and Hetalia: Axis Powers are not mine, nor will they ever be. *sobs***


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